READ Famous People You Didn't Know Are Native American

Celebrity Native Americans claim ties to various tribes indigenous to the United States. These notable faces in art, film, and music often draw from their background for their work, ensuring indigenous people are accurately represented in pop culture.

Native American heritage, however, can be complicated territory. Some celebrities fail to verify their ancestry, leading to accusations that such stars are exploiting questionable Native ties to deflect criticism. Actors like Johnny Depp and Taylor Lautner's claims of indigenous ancestry, for example, were questioned after the actors took on roles playing Native Americans.

Luckily, many famous Native Americans can prove their ties definitively, and do a good job of representing the traditionally marginalized group in media. Singers like Beyoncé, Tori Amos, and Jimi Hendrix have Native ancestors, and singer and actress Rosario Dawson is of a mixed race background that includes some Native heritage.